Patna Collectorate
{{Short description|Government building in Bihar, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Patna Collectorate
| image =
| image_size =
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| former_names =
| alternate_names = Patna district Collector Office
| map_type = India Patna
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Location within Patna
| building_type = Government
| architectural_style = Dutch architecture & British architecture
| structural_system =
| cost =
| location = Patna, Bihar
| client =
| owner = Government of Bihar
| current_tenants = Chandrashekhar Singh, IAS, District magistrate of Patna
| landlord =
| location_country = India
| coordinates = {{coord|25|37|17|N|85|8|53|E|display=inline}}
| altitude = {{convert|58|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| start_date = 1857
| completion_date = 1867
| inauguration_date = 1938
| demolition_date =
| height =
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| awards =
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| website = {{URL|patna.nic.in}}
| references =
}}
Patna Collectorate or Patna district Collector (District Collectorate, Patna) is administrative head office of Collector of Patna district in Patna, Bihar, India (district headquarters). It is on the bank of river Ganges, close to Gandhi Maidan. It is in the style of Dutch architecture and British architecture{{cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/bihar-fm-bats-for-collectorate-linking-heritage-with-tourism-2862218/ |title=Bihar FM supports saving Dutch-era Collectorate, linking culture, heritage with tourism |publisher=The Indian Express |date=2016-06-19 |access-date=2016-09-17}} and is over 200-year-old building complex. In 2008, the Collectorate was listed as heritage building by the Government of Bihar.{{cite web|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/170416/dutch-govt-appeals-to-nitish-kumar-to-spare-collectorate-demolition.html |title=Dutch govt appeals to Nitish Kumar to spare Collectorate demolition |publisher=Deccanchronicle.com |date= 17 April 2016|access-date=2016-09-17}} In 2016, the government proposed its demolition and replacement with a new office complex. The Indian Supreme Court dismissed petitions from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, a heritage organisation, to stay the demolition in May 2022, and the complex began to be razed the following day.{{cite news|newspaper=The Deccan Herald|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/east-and-northeast/british-era-patna-dm-office-building-featured-in-gandhi-razed-1122444.html|title=British-era Patna DM office building featured in 'Gandhi' razed|date=29 June 2022|accessdate=15 July 2022}}
History
The Dutch first came to Patna in the early 17th century. The building was constructed by the Dutch East India Company and it was used as a godown during the Dutch period.{{cite book | title=The Dutch in Bengal and Bihar 1740-1825 A.D. | publisher=University of Patna, 1948 | author=Kalikinkar Datta}} During the British Raj, the British reused this building as Collectorate. The Collectorate started functioning from its present premises from 1857.{{cite book | title=Patna: A Monumental History | publisher=Department of Art, Culture and Youth, Government of Bihar | author=Vivek Kumar Singh, Sudhir Kumar Jha, Bihar (India). Youth, Art, and Culture Department | year=2008}} In 1938, the District Board building was added, which is built in the British architecture.{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/patna-collectorate-unique-as-important-as-golghar-historians/article8608754.ece |title=Patna Collectorate unique, as important as Golghar: Historians |work=The Hindu |date=2016-05-17 |access-date=2016-09-17}}
In 2016, the Bihar government decided to dismantle the old buildings and replace them with a new complex. This led to widespread voiced protests and criticism by historians and different organisations, most notably; the New Delhi based Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage{{cite web|author=PTI |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/patnas-historic-collectorate-faces-demolition-intach-opposes/articleshow/50981184.cms |title=Patna's historic Collectorate faces demolition; INTACH opposes - The Economic Times |publisher=Economictimes.indiatimes.com |date=2016-02-14 |access-date=2016-09-17}} and the London based Gandhi Foundation.{{cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/london-based-gandhi-foundation-appeals-nitish-kumar-to-preserve-patna-collectorate-2904869/ |title=London-based Gandhi Foundation appeals Nitish Kumar to preserve Patna Collectorate |publisher=The Indian Express |date=2016-07-10 |access-date=2016-09-17}} In April 2016, Ambassador of the Netherlands to India Alphonsus Stoelinga in a letter to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar appealed to spare Collectorate. Legal challenges to the demolition were dismissed by the Indian Supreme Court in May 2022, and by June, several parts of the complex, including the District Magistrate's office, were destroyed.
A 1920s-vintage coal-fired steamroller built by John Fowler & Company of Leeds and used to smoothen roads in India during British rule was discovered in one of the buildings of the Collectorate. After campaigns by locals, Patna Museum acquired it for display.{{cite news|newspaper=The Times|url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/asia/article/preserving-last-of-the-steamrollers-that-powered-the-raj-hxffqfp7l|author=Amrit Dhillon|title=Preserving last of the steamrollers that powered the Raj|date=|access-date=15 July 2022}}
Overview
The Collectorate is headed by the District collector (also called magistrates), an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. Offices of The Additional District Magistrate & Deputy Collector (General), Deputy Collector (Land Acquisition), Deputy Collector (Revenue Recovery), Deputy Collector (Disaster Management), Deputy Collector (Election), Deputy Collector (Land Reforms) and office of the Senior Finance Officer are also functioning in Collectorate Building.
External links
- [http://patna.bih.nic.in/aspfiles/dm_successor.asp Successor list of Patna District Magistrate & Collector] Patna.bih.nic.in